Electeic eailwat



3`Sheets Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

B. FORD.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 562,890. Patented June 30, 1896.

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IIYYENTOF?! (No Model.)

` 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. B. FORD.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY. No. 562,890. Patented June 30, 18,95.

I .L @I x J R P9 M Q rlhlllmll n d? Lb il 55' m (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. Brom)l` ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 562,890, Patented June 30, 1896.

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INVENTDR! WITNESSEZS# wf wf UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

BRUCE FORD, OF JOHNSTOVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,890, dated J' une30, 1896.

Application led August 30, 1895. Serial No. 560,965. (No model.)

To all' whom t may concern;

Beit known that I, BRUCE FORD, of the city of Johnstown, in the countyof Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement inElectric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to electric railways; and it consists ofcertain improvements, all of which are fully set forth in the followinglspecification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form apartthereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a suitable construction adaptedto supply current from a fixed source of energy to a moving car withoutthe employment of exposed constantly-charged conductors.

My object is further to provide a closed conduit system of supply whichshall dispense with the use oflarge traveling magnets on the car foroperating the circuit-switches.

In carrying out myinvention I employ sectional circuits along the track,which are successively brought into electrical connection with thesupply-conductor by means of electromagnetically controlled switches,and said switches have their coils in circuit with the supply-conductorand sectional surface conductor, so that the traveling of the car andits collector device will cause the current to iioW over the said coilsand energize the magnets immediately under or adjacent to the carsuccessively.

My invention further comprehends the employment of a battery oraccumulator in circuit with the collector for energizing the switches atstarting, or at other times when no current from the line is passing. Inconnection with the latter portion of my improvements, I also employ asmall high-speed motor, in series With the accumulator, generatin g acounter electromotive force to regulate the tloW of current thro ugh theaccumulator-circuit, and protect the accumulatore.

My various improvements, including the features above specified, will bebetter understood by reference to the accompanying draw'- ings, inWhich- Figure 1 is a plan view of an electric railway with the circuitsindicated thereon. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of: same. Fig. 3 is asectional elevation of one of the magnetboxes adapted to amodilicationof my invention shown in Fig. 1i. Fig. 4Q is a plan View showing theelectric circuits of an electric railway embodying a modification of myinvention illustrated in Fig. I. Fig. 5 is a plan View corresponding tothat of Fig. l, showing a modifi cation of the electric circuits. Fig.(5 is a longitudinal section of one of the armature-boxes, taken on liney 'y of Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of same on line of Fig.6, and Figs. S and 9 are diagrams illustrating the method of connectionof the controlled magnet-circuits relatively to the circuit of the car.

The rails A are suitably connected to form the return circuit, and theout-going of positive circuit is formed of the conductors B B', arrangedin sections. These sections are so arranged that each pair of conductorsforming a section is brought into contact with the feed-Wire only as thetrolly or current-collector of the car is in contact with them. In somecases this conductor is formed of a single rail divided in sections,while in other cases it is double, one part being connected to theground through the switch-magnet F. Each section of the outgoingconductor is connected with the supply-conductor T by a branch conductorD, having therein a cut-out switch in the form of an armature E,inclosed in a case e, lined with glass, porcelain, or other suitablenon-conducting and non-destructible substance G. This armature E isoperated under the magnetic influence of a magnet F, contained Withinthe magnet-box G', (also inclosing the case e,) which magnet isenergized by current from a circuit II, one end of which is in circuitwith the rails or return and the other end with a section of theoutgoing or trolley conductor B'. In practice the conductor D wouldextend through and be insulated from tubes d, which terminate at theiradjacent ends in the armature-box e, which is lined with glass orporcelain G, so that the armature E, when raised, will press theterminals Dr on the divided branch conductor D against the said glass,and at the same time electrically connect the same. The armature E mayhave spring-contacts E', if desired.

It Will now be evident that as the trolley or contact device K on thecar I is moved over the cond actor-sections B B' it will bridgesuccessive sections, and hence current from the IOO " from which itpasses to magnet F and keeps it magnetized until the next section isreached. The current in the motor-circuit on the car may be regulated bya rheostat or controller L of any suitable construction, and is returnedto the rails or return-conductor by the wheels of the car I. It isevident that the particular arrangement of the motive power on the caris immaterial, as it may be made in any of the present well-knownman-ners, if so desired. From this construction it is evident that thereis no current in the sectional conductors, except when a car is in theimmediate vicinity of the sections energized,and that in the ordinaryoperation of the system the severalsections of outgoing or trolleyconductor are energized and denergized successively. There is thereforeno danger to horses or pedestrians, and I am enabled to dispense Withall overhead Wires and slotted conduit constructions.

If from any cause the circuit should be broken, or when iirst starting,the magnet F Will not be energized, and hence no connection with thesupply-conductor T Will be made by the armature e and branch conductorD. To secure connection under these conditions, I provide a smallbattery or ac cumulator M on the car, and include it in a circuit mi inparallel with motor J. The current from thisbattery is thus utilized toenergize the magnets when no current is flowing from thesupply-conductor, and its action in any case is only for an instant,because as soonv as the motor-.circuit is closed the utility of thebattery ceases. As the potential of the battery is necessarily less thanthat of the supply-conductor, a suitable cut-out or regulator isrequired to protect said battery, and this is fulfilled by interposingin the battery-circuit m in series with the battery M a small motor N,Whose speed only allows enough current to flow to get up a speed so thatits counter electromotive force will guard the battery against the highpotential linecircuit, change in its voltage, short circuits, and fromdischarging through the main or power motor.

Under ordinary working the counter electromotive force of thepower-motors will insure the requisite current passing through themagnets F, they being in shunt relation to said power-motors.

The armature-box e is inclosed within the magnet-,case FQ and this inturn is preferably placed in an outer box A', leading to the surface ofthe roadway, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The construction which l have described above in detail corresponds towhat is indicated in Figs. l, 2, 6, and 7.

Turning now to the construction shown in Fig. 4, we have substantiallythe same eircuits as those shown in Fig. l, but in this case We have anadditional armature-switch i). also controlled by the same magnets Fwhich `control the armature E. The armature O connects the rail by thecircuit P with one o1' the sections B' of the trolley-conductor inadvance, 0r to the rear, as desired, of the sections corresponding tothe armature, and said circuit includes a reverse winding for the magnetF of the section to which it leads. This construction is clearly shownin Figs. 3 and 4. This addition Will prevent any possibility of thearmature E being held up after the ear has passed, even in case offoreign matter electrically connecting and short-circuiting thetrolley-rail section B B at any place. This addition in being a safetydevice comprehends two. equa-l but opposite windings upon the magnet F,one main winding in circuit H, Whose action is to connect thetrolley-rail section B With the supply-conductor, as described inconnection with Fig. I, and otherbeing in the circuit P, and isenergized Whenthe collector of the car passes on to the next section andwhen the collector is removed from that section corresponding to themagnet under consideration. By this means the magnet F of the section ispositively neutralized after the car has passed beyond that sectionwhich corresponds to it, even though there is a short-circuitingelectrieal connection between the two conductors B B of said section.

In operation the closing of the armature O, corresponding to the sectionon Which the car is, permits a current to low over circuit P to a magnetF, corresponding to a section which the car has left, and this currentilows around the second or demagnetizing winding of said magnet andannuls any magnetism which might be in the magnet in case there happensto be a short circuit between conductors B B.' of that section.

In Fig. 3 I show the second armature O for the magnet F, it beingllikewise contained in the magnet-box e', the remaining elements beingthe same as in the construction shown in Figs. l and 2.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modification oi' my invention, in which thereis but a single trolley-rail divided into sections. In this case I relyentirely upon the auxiliary circuit to open the sections passed by thecar. This case is the same as if the two rails should becomeshort-circuited, and it would therefore be in all material respects thesame as Fig. 4 with the section B B merged into single sections.

The magnets F may be in shunt relation relatively to the power motor andregulator IOO IIO

of the car and also to the storage battery and regulating-motor, asshown in Fig. 8 diagrammatically, or it may be arranged in sh untrelation to the power-motor and its regulator and also to the storagebattery, but in series relation with the regulatingniotor, as clearlyindicated in the diagram of Fig. 9. The particular location isimmaterial so long as it accomplishes its object. It is evident that theprinciple of my invention may be secured irrespective of the speciallocation of the conductor-sections B B, and hence they may be arrangedat any convenient elevation or position relatively to the rails.

In conclusion I would remark that while I prefer the construct-ion shownI do not confine myself thereto, as the details may be modiiied withoutdeparting from my inven tion.

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isn

l. In an electric railway, the combination of a supply-conductorextending along the railway, a trolley-rail formed of two parallelconductors each divided into sections, branch conductors between therespective sections of one of the trolley-conductors and thesupply-conductor, electromagnetic switches in said branch conductors,conductors between the corresponding sections of the othertrolleyconductor and the return-circuit and including the coils of theelectromagnetic switches, an electrically propelled car, a trolley orcontact device on the car for simultaneously closing the circuit betweenthe two conductors ot the trolley-rail and supplying current to themotor, a source of electrical energy on the car for temporarilyactuating the electromagnetic switches, a circuit on the car connectingsaid source of energy with the trolleyor contact device, and automaticmeans for controlling the current passing to and from said source ofelectrical energy.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of a supply-conductorextending along the railway, a trolley-rail formed of two parallelconductors each divided into sections, branch conductors between therespective sections of one of the trolley-conductors and thesupplyconductor, electromagnetic switches in said branch conductors,conductors between the corresponding sections for the othertrolleyconductor and the return-circuit and including the coils of theelectromagnetic switches, an electrically-propolied car, a trolley orcontact device on the car for simultaneously clos ing the circuitbetween the two conductors of the trolley-rail and supplying current tothe motor, a source of electrical energy on the car f or temporarilyactuating the electromagnetic switches, a circuit on the car forconnecting said source of energy with the trolley or contact device, anda variable counter-electro- 3. In an electric railway, the combinationoi' a conductor extending along the railway and divided into sections,electromagnetic switches for successively bringing into circuit the saidsections, a car, a motor on the car for propelling it receiving currentfrom the sectional conductor, a battery on the car for temporarilyenergizing the electromagnetic switches, and a variablecounter-electromotive-force generator in series with the battery and inparallel with the motor to protect the battery from the line-current andabnormal discharge.

4. In an electric railway, the combination `of a conductor for supplyingcurrent to the car divided into sections, a supply-conductor, branchconductors between the sections and supply-conductor, armature-switchesinterposed in said branch circuits, sealed boxes wholly inclosing saidarmatures, and fixed clectromagnets for operating the armatures exteriorto said boxes.

5. In an electric railway, the combination of a conductor for supplyingcurrent tothe car divided into sections, a supply-conductor, branchconductors between the sections and supply-conductor, armature-switchesinterposed in said branch circuits, sealed boxes wholly inclosing saidarmatures, electromagnets for operating the armature exterior to saidboxes, inclosing cases for the magnets, and means leading to the car forenergizing the magnets when the car reaches their vicinity.

6. In an electric railway, the combination of a supply-conductorextending along the railway, a trolley-rail form ed of two parallelconductors each divided into sections, branch conductors between therespective sections of one of the trolley-conductors and thesupplyconductor, electromagnetic switches in said branch conductors,conductors between the corresponding sections of the othertrolleyconductor and the return-circuit and including the coils of theelectromagnetic switches, a differential winding upon each of theelectromagnets, auxiliary circuits respectively including thedifferential winding of the magnets and connected respectively with thelastmentioned sections of trolley-conductor in advance of the car as itmoves over the railway, and circuit-closing devices controlled by thecar for successively closing the auxiliary circuits as the car passesbeyond the sections controlled by the magnets. y

7,. In an electric railway, the combination of a supply-conductorextending along the railway, a trolley-rail formed of two parallelconductors each divided in to sections, branch conductors between therespective sections of one of the trolley-conductors and the supplyconductor, electromagnetic switches in said branch conductors,conductors between the corresponding sections of the othertrolleyconductor and the return-circuit and including the coils of theelectromagnetic switches, an electrically-propelled car, a trolley orcontact device on the car for simultaneously clos- TOO IIO

ing the circuit between the two conductors of the trolley-rail andsupplying current to the motor, a differential winding upon each of theelectroinagnets, auxiliary circuits respectively including thedifferential winding of the magnets and connected respectively with thelast-mentioned sections of trolley-conductor in advance of the car as itmoves over the railway, and circuit-closing devices controlled by thecar for successively closing the auxiliary circuits as the car passesbeyond the sections controlled by the magnets.

S. In an electric railway, the combination of a supply-conductorextending along the railway, a trolley-.rail formed of two parallelconductors each divided into sections, branch conductors between therespective sections of one of the trolley-conductors and thesupplyconductor, electromagnetic switches in said branch conductors,conductors between the corresponding sections of the othertrolleyconductor and the return-circuit and'inclu ding the coils of theelectromagnetic switches, a differential winding upon each of theelectroinagnets, auxiliary circuits respectively including thediiferential winding of the magnets and connected respectively with thelastmentioned sections of trolley-conductor in advance of the car as itmoves over the railway, and circuit-closing devices controlled by theelectromagnets and operated by the car for successively closing theauxiliary circuits as the car passes beyond the sections controlled bythe magnets whereby all magnets in the rear of the car are positivelyneutralized or cut out of the circuits.

9. In an electric railway, the combination of a supply-conductorextending along the railway, a trolley-rail formed of two parallelconductors each divided into sections, branch conductors between therespective sections of one of the trolley-conductors and thesupplyconductor, electromagnetic switches in said branch conductors,conductors between the corresponding sections of the othertrolleyconductor and the return-circuit and including the coils of theelectromagnetic switches, a diiferential Winding upon each of theelectromagnets, auxiliary circuits respectively including thedifferential winding of the niagnets and connected respectively with thelastmentioned sections of trolley-conductor in advance of the car as itmoves over the railway, and electromagnetic circuit-closing devicescontrolled by the car for successively closing the auxiliary circuits asthe car passes beyond the sections controlled by the firstmentionedmagnets.

l0. In an electric railway, the combination of a conducting-path forsupplying current to the ear divided into sections, a supplyspectivelyincluding the differential winding of the magnets and connectedrespectively with the sections of the conducting-path in advance of thecar as it moves over the railtromagnetic switches and also the auxiliarycircuits as the car passes beyond the sections ycontrolled by theelectromagnets.

In testimony of which invention I have heref unto set my hand.

BRUCE FORD,

lVitnesses:

H. C. STIFF, EDWARD OTT.

